The NASCAR community stood at a standstill last week as Erik Jones suffered a major wreck at Talladega. Although the Legacy Motor Club star was discharged from the in-field medical center, the true scale of his injuries only revealed itself after the adrenaline wore off. As Erik Jones sits out of the Cup Series to recover from a compression fracture to his back, the pressure is now on their reserve driver, Corey Heim, to make his Cup debut at Dover International Speedway. But that’s not all.

Now that Jimmie Johnson is looking to make the most of every opportunity to step into the Next-Gen car, LMC fans might just be in for a treat in the coming weeks. That being said, the LMC owner’s commitment to his team could end up sidelining a Dover veteran that many fans wanted to see in the #43 Camry XSE as Erik Jones recovers from the action.

Jimmie Johnson hints at a return to the Cup Series right after Kansas, denying Matt Kenseth’s wishes

When the prospects of Erik Jones’ replacement entered the picture, NASCAR fans immediately pointed to Matt Kenseth, who had made his Cup debut as a substitute driver for Bill Elliott at Dover. Naturally, it would have been quite poetic to see the Hall of Famer return to Dover in a subtitled role. But now that LMC’s reserve driver, Corey Heim, is all set to make his Cup debut at Dover, fans and insiders just had one question for Johnson: would all the races that Jones sits out of be driven by Heim?

For those wondering about Matt Kenseth as a prospect, PRNLive revealed a sad reality. It appears that the veteran had already been in contact with Johnson and Co. for a drive, but was ultimately turned down! The PRNLive account shared on X, “Matt Kenseth joked with @prnbrett that he lobbied to fill in for Erik Jones but was denied by Jimmie Johnson. “I tried but they said no, so I guess I’m out,” Kenseth said. Can’t blame a guy for trying, right? 😆”

Throughout his career, Matt Kenseth has mastered the Monster Mile like no other driver. With 17 top-fives and three wins, the former JGR and Chip Ganassi driver could have been the ideal replacement for Erik Jones on such short notice. But now that we know Kenseth didn’t have a chance at making it to the #43’s seat, fans started to understand what was brewing at Legacy Motor Club.

Soon enough, Bob Pockrass asked the heavy-hitting questions to Jimmie Johnson and got an answer that would surely uplift the moods of those upset with Kenseth’s exclusion. Jeff Gluck shared in a tweet, “Asked by @bobpockrass whether Corey Heim will be in the No. 43 car every week until Erik Jones returns from injury, Jimmie Johnson wouldn’t rule out driving the car himself.”

Although Johnson is set to drive the third LMC entry at Kansas next week, the veteran could return to the Cup Series sooner than we believed if Erik Jones’ recovery lasts as long as expected. Also, if Corey Heim ends up delivering a stellar result at Dover, there is no reason why Johnson would want to snatch the opportunity from the budding rookie.

With that being said, the full-time driver of the #43 LMC Camry shared some positive news about his health.

Erik Jones is well on his way to recovery after ‘feeling pretty good’ at Dover

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For veteran NASCAR viewers, Erik Jones’s right-rear crash looked quite like some of the worst cases we’ve ever seen. But as the #43 driver continues to recover, the signs are positive. As Jones visits Dover International Speedway, watching on from the paddock, he reveals thrilling news about the progress of his recovery. “To be honest, right now, I’m feeling pretty good,” Jones said.

Jones expressed just how hard it was to sit out and miss crucial point-scoring opportunities. But even though he’d jump back to action as soon as Dover could, there were still some ways to go before making a complete recovery. He was quoted by Motorsport, “I get pretty sore at night and when I’m not moving around. My range of motion is a bit limited right now, but the soreness has faded away. It was pretty bad earlier in the week, and I was just resting. By yesterday and today, I’m feeling better and better.”

For other drivers like Denny Hamlin, who have had similar compression fractures in the past, the road to recovery lasted anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks. That being said, Erik Jones expects to have more clarity soon, as he concluded, “As far as coming back, I think it is week-to-week. My injury is fortunately on the mild side, so we will just have to see how it is healing up, how I’m feeling – again, I’m feeling better and better every day.”

Now that all the stars are lining up for Legacy Motor Club once again after their misfortunes at Talladega, do you think Corey Heim can deny Jimmie Johnson an opportunity to race in the #43 car?